John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men , etc.] In the pursuit of them, which were but few, but a sufficient rebuke of Providence; their loss was but small, but their shame and disgrace great: for they chased them [from] before the gate ; the gate of the city of Ai: [even] unto Shebarim ; not that there was a place of this name before, but it was so called from hence, because there they were broken, as Kimchi observes; and the Targum and Jarchi render it, “until they were broken,” their lines broken, not being able to retreat in order, but were scattered, and fled to their camp as they could: Gussetius thinks it was the; name of a place, but not so called for the above reason, but because there lay broken pieces of the rock scattered about: and smote them in the going down ; the hill from Ai; “Morad”, rendered “going down”, may taken for the proper name of a place, and which, Kimchi says, was a place before Ai, in which there was a declivity and descent, and in that place they smote them when they fled: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water ; that is, the whole body of the people, when this little army returned defeated, their spirits failed them, their courage was lost, their nerves were loosed, and they became languid, faint, and feeble; not that their loss was so great, but that they perceived God had forsaken them, and what the issue of this would be they dreaded.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - Achan took some of the spoil of Jericho. The love of the world is tha root of bitterness, which of all others is most hardly rooted up. We should take heed of sin ourselves, lest by it many be defiled of disquieted, Heb 12:15; and take heed of having fellowship with sinners lest we share their guilt. It concerns us to watch over one another to prevent sin, because others' sins may be to our damage. The eas conquest of Jericho excited contempt of the enemy, and a disposition to expect the Lord to do all for them without their using proper means Thus men abuse the doctrines of Divine grace, and the promises of God into excuses for their own sloth and self-indulgence. We are to wor out our own salvation, though it is God that works in us. It was a dea victory to the Canaanites, whereby Israel was awakened and reformed and reconciled to their God, and the people of Canaan hardened to their own ruin.
Original Hebrew ויכו5221 מהם1992 אנשׁי582 העי5857 כשׁלשׁים7970 ושׁשׁה8337 אישׁ376 וירדפום7291 לפני6440 השׁער8179 עד5704 השׁברים7671 ויכום5221 במורד4174 וימס4549 לבב3824 העם5971 ויהי1961 למים׃4325
